I have decided to write the following letter, to better inform future first time black bear hunters about picking a guide out.
First off, black bear hunting is a wonderful experience for any person that loves to hunt and be in the great outdoors.
The cost of black bear hunting can be several thousand dollars or under a thousand dollars. Mo matter what kind of income you make or have, one should do a lot of research when picking out a guide.
I have been on three bear hunting trips. I have went to a Outfitter in Newfoundland twice and Ontario once. The Newfoundland experiences were fantastic, while the Ontario trip left me scratching my head. I will be leaving both outfitters names and addresses at the end of my letter. As you will see in this letter, I am not here to promote or bash a outfitter, but instead here to provide you with valuable information. This being said, I will state the "facts."
I am no bear hunting expert, but I do have many valuable tips one should ask a possible future guide. This in turn will hopefully make your trip rewarding. Whether the trip cost $500.00 or $3000.00, it is your hard earned money and you deserve the best for the buck.
My first bear hunting adventure was to Newfoundland. I made many inquires about guides from Alberta, Ontario and Newfoundland province. In the end, I chose to go with a Newfoundland Outfitter. This turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life.
Upon arriving at the airport in Deer Lake, Newfoundland my outfitter was right there waiting to pick me up. He took me to a local hotel, where I would spend the night before driving a hour and a half northeast the next day.
On the drive up to the camp, our guide informed myself and the other hunter what we should expect and look for, while showing us pictures from the previous hunters that year. That hour and a half drive enabled us to share stories and most importantly, get to know one another.
After arriving at camp, we were taken to the main lodge. The guide/owner immediately introduced us to all of his workers (other guides). Later that afternoon, they started showing us hours of bear hunting tapes. The tapes informed us what our stands would look like, our hunting area, baits and different sizes of bears. Here again, to allow us first time bear hunters to attain as much possible knowledge about our bear hunting adventure.
This is when we were also told about smoking. The owner/guide did not care if a person smoked,as long as the smoking was not done in cabins and not around other hunters. A bear has poor eye sight, but a great nose. The owner just wanted to make sure that a smoker did not interfere with the opportunity of a non-smoker getting a bear.
The atmosphere provided by the guides, allowed us hunters to know exactly what to expect.
After the hours of video tape watching and discussions, it was time for bed. I hardly slept, knowing I would be on my first ever bear hunting trip the following afternoon.
The next afternoon, I was ready to roll. My guide and I packed my gear and off we went. After about a 20 minute drive, we stopped and unloaded the four wheeler. At this point and time, my excitement was really growing as I knew my hunt would be officially starting in less than 20 minutes.
After arriving at our destination, my guide made sure I never said a word. We did all communication with hand signals. The guide went to the bait pile and dropped off the large trash bag full of donuts and a five gallon bucket full of chicken scraps.
I went up into the stand, while the guide was at the bait pile. This is when I first started to really notice how great a job my guide and the other guides do in preparing for us hunters.
The stand was made out of existing lumber, that was used in clearing out the "hunt area." The stand was totally camoflouged by the woods natural settings. I will also say that the stand was built like a tank. The other great aspect of the stand was the size of it. The size was bigger than skid, allowing a hunter plenty of room to make movement if need be. A old metal chair was also on the stand. The chair was quiet, as I inspected that concern right away. Then again, one would only expect a quiet chair after seeing how the blind was built. When a guide makes the effort to put you in a quiet, stable and solid stand one should expect good things.
The very next thing I noticed was where the bait pile was located. The donuts were put down right in front of me, about 45 yards away. I was told upfront that rifle hunters hunt different baits than do bow hunters. They want rifle hunters farther away from the bait, to help keep your scent away and any possible accidental noises that may be made. They also put the baits directly in front of you, allowing both right hand and left hand hunters to adjust their bodies quickly and smoothly for their shot of a lifetime.
After I was totally situated in my stand, the guide looked up to me. I made non-verbal communication signs telling him I was ready. The guide slowly started walking his way back to the four wheeler. As he passed by me, he made one last look up and wished me luck.
Next I was all alone in the woods of such a beautiful place called Newfoundland. I had my rifle and walkie talkie. I was set.
Speaking of having a walkie talkie, I can not over emphasize the importance of communication and safety when bear hunting. Never go into the woods, without a walkie talkie and extra batteries. A walkie talkie is valuable for a couple reasons;
1. In case of a emergency
2. In case you shoot a bear. If one shoots a bear, you need to contact your guide right away. One never knows if the weather will change and start raining, ruining the possibility of following a blood trail. Plus, it is always better to get on a bear during the available day light time.
I eventually killed a bear on the fourth day. I called my guide right away and he and the other guides came out to help. The guides carried the bear out, with one guide video taping everything. Even though the bear was only a 120 pounds, they made me fill like I had shot a 500 pound bear.
Speaking of a large bear, I did see a huge bear on my third night. The bear came within 10 yards of the bait pile and gave me a decent shot, but I never took it. I still look back and think to myself how I should have taken a shot. Then again, I am glad I did not. The guides had preached kill shot over and over. Do not shoot at a bear, unless you have a kill shot. Simply put, is just is not a wise move or even ethical to take a non-kill shot. Yes, I may have got the huge bear, but then again I might have wounded him and never found him. The guides were right once again.
When I look back at the Newfoundland hunt, I notice how all small things were taken care of. They made sure we packed the right gear, all guides were trained in first aid, all hunters carried walkie talkies, the stands were solid, the seats were not noisy, the baits were out at proper distances, baits located right in front of us, smoking confined to certain areas and all hunters were treated like a king.
I left camp at the ending of the week knowing I not only got a bear, but made some great friendships. I could have never dreamed for any better place or treatment.
I went back up the following year with a friend. He was in his late 50's and not in the best of shape. He came away with a bear also and said "the trip was a trip of a lifetime." He was so impressed with the small details, just as I.
A few years later, another firend wanted to go bear hunting. We chose Ontario as our province of choice, due to time and cost. We knew that huting in ontario would be cheaper and we both wanted to stick to a outfitter who was below $1,200.00. We ended up choosing a outfitter costing $775.00.
After being to the Newfoundland outiftter twice, I thought I was prepared to ask all the right questions. I sooned learned after arriving at our destination Ontario, that I did not ask enough questions.
My friend had relied on me to basically pick a outfitter, as he had never went bear hunting before and I had.
I thought I had done all the research I should have. I spent hours on the internet reviewing camps and even spent time with the DNR of Ontario getting bear statistics for the different regions of Ontario.
At the first impression, my friend and I was highly impressed with our camp and the cottages. The lake we were on was beautiful and we were just happy to get away for a week in Canada.
After checking in at the lodge and filling out the required paperwork, the owners (married couple) briefly went over what to expect. We then headed off to our cabin.
The cabin was very nice, as all the cabins looked to be. We put all our hunting clothes outside the cabin on the pines trees, to help cover our scent and cabin scent.
We never met other hunters at the camp until the next day. We met two hunters out on a fishing pier. While out on the fishing pier, we met two younger kids (college age) from Michigan. The first thing the two young kids did after we introduced ourselves to eahc other, was to both start smoking. My buddy and I were bothed ticked right away. here we stand ona fishing pier, no where to go and smoke blowing all over us.
The guide came over on the pontoon and picked us and proceeded to take us across the lake twenty minutes, then truck drive four 25-30 minutes to our first stop. Once we got at the first stop and out of the truck, the two young kids started smoking again. We walked some 25 feet away, waiting for the guide/owner to get us loaded up on the 4 wheeler and taken to our stands.
We never mentioned a word to the owner the first day, concerning the smoke. I was the first hunter dropped off and taken to a stand. I was shocked to see that the stand was a cheap stand. The seating area was about 18 inches wide, but only about 8 inches deep. There was no side rails and we were not given any safety harnesses. We were also not given any walkie talkies!
To make things worse, the stand was no more than 20 yard (more like 15) to the bait sight off to my left hand side. This wasnot good, as I am a left hand shooter. This means if a bear came in on the left side, I would have to stand or rotate (if possible) to the left, so I could align my body up with the bait.
I kept thinking about the stand and the positioning of it. I realized that this stand and all stands used by other hunters were set up for both rifle and bow hunters. This is wrong, remember bears have great sense of smell. I also could not believe the stand was cheap, knowing that the guide/owner had just purchased the outfitting place a year before. They had to have paid a good chunk of change, several hundred thousands, for this place. Why would one put hunters in cheap and in my opinion unsafe stands, knowing you are only setting yourself up for a accident/liability issue? Then not having the bait sight directly in front of me, just made me realize that this would not be a similar trip to Newfoundland.
Arriving back to camp that night, my hunting buddy and I both started discussing the situation. His butt was hurting just as bad as mine, as he was put into a ridiculous stand also. His bait was 15 yards off to his left also. We both knew we might be in for a long trip, but make the best of it. When you are miles from home, that is what one has to do. We tried to look at the positive signs of things; beautiful scenery, beautiful lake with nice pike and we were away from every day living stresses for a week.
We found out the next morning that the four other hunters got stranded out in the middle of the 10,000 acre lack because the guide had forgot to refill the gas tank. Not only that, he forgot to charge the trolling motor. Here were three guys in there 50's and one younger guy stranded out on a lake, cold, hungry and now in a foul mood. Here again, it made my hunting partner and I realize that "safety" was not being shown by our guides as being the top priority. I do not care what any guide tells you, safety must be the first and most vital aspect to any type of big game hunting.
Later that afternnon, we were back at the fishing pier. Here again, the young adutls started smoking again. The smoked all they way across the pontoon ride (20 minutes). This time we sat inf ront of the boat to have the wind off of us.
We also brought the smoking up to our guides attention, after he stopped to drop me off at my stand. My friend followed my lead and directly told the guide we paid good money for the hunt and we do not expect other hutners to blowing smoke all over our hunting clothes.The guide said "yes, I will have to tlak to them." Our point of thinking was that the owner/guide should have had a group meeting to begin with, so all of us hunters could get to know one another and lay down the guidelines of do's and don't at camp. In other words, you need a guide/owner who is organized and will tell you of camp rules even before you make a deposit.
The second night, my buddy got a 180 pound bear. I heard him shoot, as I was posted about a mile or so from his stand. I also saw a bear that night, that weighed probably around 125. The bear came in off my right and come to a halt right in front of me. The bear looked directly at me for about 30 seconds and then slowly walked away, never going to the bait. I wanted to shoot the bear, but was not sure if my buddy had got his bear or not. Hence, no walkie talkie, no communication available. I did not want to shoot my bear and possible end up trakcing it, even though the shot would have been a about 12 yards. I did not want to be tracking two bears that evening or next morning, in case my buddy would have wounded his.
On two different occasions, I would have shot the bear. First, if I known my buddy got his bear. Secondly, if this would have been a big ole bear. Since I knew either, I passed.
I did now know that bears knew where the stand was or that the bear smelt the smoke on my clothing or both. I was not happy to say the least. I was happy that I knew my buddy had got a shot and that I had seen a bear, but not happy knowing that we had no communication tools and the bear knew I was there.
After we were picked up and back to our cabin, we celebrated on the first bear ever shot by my buddy. He was excited and proud, as all first time bear hunters should be of their kill.
The next day, I would head back out in the evening again. This time, the guide asked if I would like to go and try a different stand. I said "yes." I said yes, as I knew a bear already knew I was there. I also knew if a 125 pound bear knew I was there, I was more than sure a big ole bear would not be coming in.
When we got to the new stand, I noticed right away that the stand was a nice, safe stand. This stand probably cost in the are of $150.00 plus. The stand was comfortable and had railings. What I also noticed though, was that the bait was at about 12 yards to my left again. Here again, this was a multi-purpose stand, both a bow and rifle stand.
About 45 minutes later a small bear came in, right under my stand. I put the sight on him and then backed off saying to myself "he is too small." Ther bear played around and then exited. I thought "good, as he was tempting me." No sooner was he gone, he arrived back. I took aim and shot the small bear, which weighed under a 100 pounds.
I was not happy with the size of the bear by no means, but I also was mentally drained from the hunt so far. I just could not understand why a owner/guide would not do the little things correctly. It made no sense to me then and still does not.
I remember when the guide came in that night to pick me up. He came in a good half hour before darkness. I thought to myself once again, "why is he coming back in daylight. A guide should never come into the woods, until after dark." Here again, one uses walkie talkies after dark, to let the guide know whether you got a bear or not before the guide walks in. Safety first!
I told this to my hunting buddy that night and said that is a no-no, never come into the woods until after dark. Well low and behold, the owner/guide did the same thing the next night to another hunter.
This hunter was hunting the fourth night and had not seen a bear yet. That fourth night though, he saw a nice size bear but never got a shot off. The owner/guide told my buddy and I that the hutner froze, like he was scared. We later discussed this with the hunter in question. The hnter said "yes, I got excited but that is not the reason I did not get a shot off. I did not shoot, because the owner/guide was coming into the woods on his 4 wheeler and the bear heard this and took off." My friend looked at him and said that this is what "he did to him last night and he could not understand why." In other words, the owner/guide just cost this young man a decent size bear, which would have alos been his first bear ever. There is no reason why this should have happened. A good guide never enters the woods until after dark, unless he is called on a walkie talkie system of some sort and told that he has a bear down.
In the end, there were a total of 8 hunters in camp. My friend and I left a day early. When we had left, we were the only two to have got bears that week.
Even one of the older hunters who had 30 years of service with Michigan DNR discussed his views about how the outfit was ran. he agreed with us, the facilities were A+, scenery A+, boat and motors A+, but the guiding was from being A+.
We had four hunters in two different groups. Each group was guided by one guide. The guys in newfoundland always told me about never going to a place where the guide ratio to hunter was more than one guide to two hunters. I never knew relaly why or understood, until after this trip. Simply put, one guide to three or more hunters just does not allow all the hunters the attention they need for a safe and successful trip.
I just hope the Ontario guide/owner realizes that him and his wife was so close to having a fantastic outift. With a little more work, they would have had a outift I would have recomended to each and every hunter I meet. If it meant raising their rates a few hundred dollars to hire extra help, they would be better off. I would rather pay $1,000.00 for a safe and well organized trip.
In the end, here are some key questions to ask any and all guides that may be a future guide for you.
1. What is the guide ratio?
2. Are all guides trained and certified in first aid training?
3. What are the rules, concerning smoking by others in camp?
4. When do you pick us up, before dark or half hour after dark?
5. Are your stands big, safe, quiet and secure?
6. Do you have a meeting of all hunters in camp, so people can get to know one another and go over the rules of camp?
7. Do you have a communication system set up, such as walkie talkies?
I know there are many more questions that probably should be asked. I am also seeking feedback from other hunters, so I can eventually put up a website concerning "picking a bear hunting outfit.....the questions to ask." If you are a black bea rhunter or even a guide, please pass on your wisdom. The more knowledge shared by all, the better trips we shall all have.
I also encorage all bear hunting guides to list their outfits name, phone number and addresses for me and other hunters to see.....if you run a qaulity outift. A quality outfit is not one who promises a bear, but one who does all the little things correct to provide a hunter with the best chance of getting a bear. I own and operate a full line gunshop, so I am always talking hunting with our customers. Many have went on big games hunts and look for new places to hunt, just like me.
In closing, I hope all first time bear hunters and event hunters who have went a few times success in their bear hunting adventures. I hope I have provided some valuable informaion. As stated, I would list both the names of the Outfitters I have went to. The Newfoundland trip was awesome. With a little work on small detail, the Ontario Outfitter would have a A+ place also. Best of luck and wishes to all.
Happy hunting,
Kenny
Newfoundland:
Newfoundland Adventures Ltd.
P.O. Box 26, Pasadena, NF, Canada, AOL 1K0
Tel: (709) 686-2810 Fax: (709) 686-5275
Moose | Caribou | Black Bear
www.nfldadventuresltd.com/Ontario:
Camp Missanabie
P.O. Box 57
Missanabie, Ontario, Canada POM 2H0
winter phone = 715-769-3979
camp phone = 705-234-2440
